Wheeled Suitcase

ABSTRACT

The present invention is a wheeled suitcase that includes a suitcase body, a base, an elongated track, a handle, and a retractable wheel, mounted along the track, being moveable between an active position at which the retractable wheel extends below the track or an inactive position at which said retractable wheel is substantially within the interior volume of the base, wherein the elongated track permits said retractable wheel to move to a desired position between the first end and the second end of the track when the retractable wheel is in an inactive position.

TECHNICAL FIELD & BACKGROUND

The present invention generally related to wheeled suitcase, and inparticular, to an improved wheeled suitcase.

Suitcase today, especially, suitcase carried on board mass transport,such as airlines are provided with miniature wheels due to carry-on sizerestrictions of airlines. In the prior art, two to four small wheelsmounted on the base of the suitcase are provided for rolling.

These wheels are designed to facilitate sliding or rolling luggage overpaved concourses and for general movement within stations and betweenarrival and departure terminals which may be separated by quite awalking distance. But such wheels generally do not fully ease the burdenof pulling a load across various floor surfaces, both indoor and outdoorand over obstacles such as curbing and stairs encountered in unexpectedplaces.

Most airports offer assistance to travelers with personal luggage whichneeds to be moved across large walking distances by providing porterservice or large, four-wheeled baggage carts, but aside from the addedexpense of such a service, it is not always available, either due tolack of baggage carts, especially at peak hours of travel, or becausethe central collection points for the baggage carts are not convenientlylocated so as to be immediately useful to a traveler.

A solution is to use suitcases with large wheels, but such suitcasesusually do not meet the carry-on size restrictions because large wheelsare usually not retractable inwardly. Thus it would be desirable toprovide an improved wheeled suitcase that an retract any suitable sizeof wheels inwardly to meet such carry-on size restrictions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a wheeled suitcase that overcomesthe above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior. A wheeled suitcasehaving features of the present invention comprises a suitcase body, abase, an elongated track, and a retractable wheel, and a handle. Thesuitcase body has top and bottom surfaces, front and rear surfaces, andfirst and second side surfaces. The base has an interior volume definingan enclosure having a top, a bottom and four sides. The base isconnected to the bottom surface of the suitcase body. The elongatedtrack has a first end, a second end, and a relatively rigid frameextending around the track. The elongated track is coupled to the bottomof the base. The retractable wheel is mounted along the track. Theretractable wheel is movable between an active position at which theretractable wheel extends below the track or an inactive position atwhich said retractable wheel is substantially within the interior volumeof the base. The elongated track permits the retractable wheel to moveto a desired position between the first end and the second end of thetrack when the retractable wheel is in an inactive position. The handleextends upwardly from the suitcase body for steering, pushing, pullingand lifting purposes, such that when the retractable wheel is in theactive position, in use, the retractable wheel is in contact with theground and wherein the suitcase body is being pushed along by thehandle, the retractable wheel lead.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be described by way of exemplary embodiments,but not limitations, illustrated in the accompanying drawing in whichlike references denote similar elements, and in which:

FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate a side environmental perspective view of awheeled suitcase, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate a side view of a wheeled suitcase, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate a bottom view of a wheeled suitcase, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exploded bottom view of an elongated track and aretractable wheel of a wheeled suitcase, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

Various aspects of the illustrative embodiments will be described usingterms commonly employed by those skilled in the art to convey thesubstance of their work to others skilled in the art. However, it willbe apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention maybe practiced with only some of the described aspects. For purposes ofexplanation, specific numbers, materials and configurations are setforth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the illustrativeembodiments. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art thatthe present invention may be practiced without the specific details. Inother instances, well-known features are omitted or simplified in ordernot to obscure the illustrative embodiments.

Various operations will be described as multiple discrete operations, inturn, in a manner that is most helpful in understanding the presentinvention. However, the order of description should not be construed asto imply that these operations are necessarily order dependent. Inparticular, these operations need not be performed in the order ofpresentation.

The phrase “in one embodiment” is used repeatedly. The phrase generallydoes not refer to the same embodiment, however, it may. Theterms“comprising”, “having” and “including” are synonymous, unless thecontext dictates otherwise.

FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate a side environmental perspective view of awheeled suitcase 100, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention.

The wheeled suitcase 100 can retract any suitable size of a wheel.Additional details and features regarding the wheeled suitcase 100 areillustrated and described in subsequent FIGS. 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 4 andtheir descriptions.

Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, the wheeled suitcase 100 includes asuitcase body 110, a base 120, and a handle 180. The suit case body 110is a generally rectangular suitcase 111 with top 112 and bottom 113surfaces, front 114 and rear 115 surfaces. The top 112 of the suitcasebody 110 accommodates the handle 180 disposed on the top 112 of thesuitcase body 110 to allow a user to grasp the wheeled suitcase 100 ifneeded. The base 120 includes an interior volume defining an enclosure121 having a top 122, a bottom 123 and four sides 124 and beingconnected to the bottom surface 113 of the suit case body 110 to providea support to the suitcase body 110 of the wheeled suitcase 100. An antislippage 210 having a protrusion 220 is secured to the handle 180 toreceive the palm of a user if needed. The anti slippage 210 means asused in the present invention may comprise a rubber.

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate a side view of a wheeled suitcase 100, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate a bottom view of a wheeled suitcase 100, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

Additionally the wheeled suit case 100 includes a support wheel 130, aretractable wheel 160, an elongated track 140, and an elongated cover170. The support wheel 130 is located on the bottom 123 of the base 120and is moveable between an active position at which the support wheel130 extends below the bottom 123 of the base 120 or an inactive positionat which the support wheel 130 is substantially within the interiorvolume 121 of the base 120.

The elongated track 140 is coupled to the bottom 123 of the base 120 andincludes a first end 141, a second end 142, and a relatively rigid frame143 extending around the track 140. The track 140 and rigid frame 143are made of metal, wood, plastic or any other suitable material.Additional details regarding the track 140 are illustrated and describedin FIG. 4. The retractable wheel 160 is mounted along the track 140 andis moveable between an active position at which the retractable wheel160 extends below the track 140 or an inactive position at which theretractable wheel 160 is substantially within the interior volume 121 ofthe base 120. The track 140 permits the retractable wheel to move to adesired position between the first end 141 and the second end 142 of thetrack, 140 wherein the retractable wheel 160 is folded inwardly withoutoverlapping the support wheel 130. Additional details regarding thetrack 140 and the retractable wheel 160 are illustrated and described inFIG. 4.

The retractable wheel 160 and the support wheel 130 are made ofrubber/silicone which allows comfortable and efficient travel over manykinds of surfaces and under adverse conditions, such as rolling oversmall stones, snow, ice, and slippery ceramic flooring.

The elongated cover 170 extends outwardly from the base 120 to cover theretractable wheel 160 when the retractable wheel is substantially withinthe interior volume 121 of the base 120. The elongated cover 170 is madeof fabric, plastic or any other suitable material.

The wheeled suitcase comes in handy at an airport for example.

Even if the wheeled suitcase has a large wheel, it can meet the carry-onsize restrictions of airlines by easily retracting such wheel into thebase of the wheeled suitcase. The elongated track permits any suitablesize of wheel to move to a desired position where the retractable wheelcan be folded inwardly without overlapping the support wheel of thewheeled suitcase.

When boarding an airplane, a user doesn't have to worry about checking asuitcase. The user can easily fold the wheels of its suitcase inwardlyto meet the carry-on restrictions of airlines.

While the present invention has been related in terms of the foregoingembodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the inventionis not limited to the embodiments described. The present invention canbe practiced with modification and alteration within the spirit andscope of the appended claims. Thus, the description is to be regarded asillustrative instead of restrictive on the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A wheeled suitcase, comprising: a suitcase bodyhaving top and bottom surfaces, front and rear surfaces, and first andsecond side surfaces; a base having an interior volume defining anenclosure having a top, a bottom and four sides and being connected tosaid bottom surface of the suitcase body; an elongated track having afirst end and a second end, having a relatively rigid frame extendingaround the track, being coupled to the bottom of the base; a retractablewheel, mounted along the track, being moveable between an activeposition at which the retractable wheel extends below the track or aninactive position at which said retractable wheel is substantiallywithin the interior volume of the base, wherein the elongated trackpermits said retractable wheel to move to a desired position between thefirst end and the second end of the track when the retractable wheel isin an inactive position; and a handle extending upwardly from thesuitcase body for steering, pushing, pulling and lifting purposes, suchthat when the retractable wheel is in the active position, in use, theretractable wheel are in contact with the ground and wherein when thesuitcase body is being pushed along by the handle, the retractable wheelleads.
 2. The wheeled suitcase according to claim 1, wherein saidretractable wheel is made from material for facilitating optimal rollingcontact with a floor surface.
 3. The wheeled suitcase according to claim2, wherein said material comprises rubber/silicone to enable rollingmovement over a variety of surfaces and grading and under adverseenvironmental conditions.
 4. The wheeled suitcase according to claim 3,wherein said variety of surfaces and grading comprises at least oneselected from the group: paved brick surfaces, paved stone surfaces,gravelly surfaces, rocky surfaces, irregular surfaces, curved surfaces,inclined surfaces, curbing, stairways and any combination thereof. 5.The wheeled suitcase according to claim 1, wherein an anti slippagemeans is secured to the handle.
 6. The wheeled suitcase according toclaim 5, wherein the anti-slippage means is a protrusion disposed at thecentral portion of the handle.
 7. The wheeled suitcase according toclaim 1, wherein said retractable wheel has a diameter at least fiveinches.
 8. A wheeled suitcase, comprising: a suitcase body having topand bottom surfaces, front and rear surfaces, and first and second sidesurfaces; a base having an interior volume defining an enclosure havinga top, a bottom and four sides and being connected to said bottomsurface of the suitcase body; a support wheel, located on the bottom ofthe base, being moveable between an active position at which the supportwheel extends below the bottom of the base or an inactive position atwhich said support wheel is substantially within the interior volume ofthe base; an elongated track having a first end and a second end, havinga relatively rigid frame extending around the track, being coupled tothe bottom of the base; a retractable wheel, mounted along the track,being moveable between an active position at which the retractable wheelextends below the track or an inactive position at which saidretractable wheel is substantially within the interior volume of thebase, wherein the elongated track permits said retractable wheel to moveto a desired position between the first end and the second end of thetrack when the retractable wheel are in an inactive position; and ahandle extending upwardly from the suitcase body for steering, pushing,pulling and lifting purposes, such that when the retractable wheel is inthe active position, in use, the retractable wheel is in contact withthe ground and wherein when the suitcase body is being pushed along bythe handle, the retractable wheel leads.
 9. The wheeled suitcaseaccording to claim 8, wherein said retractable wheel is made frommaterial for facilitating optimal rolling contact with a floor surface.10. The wheeled suitcase according to claim 9, wherein said materialcomprises rubber/silicone to enable rolling movement over a variety ofsurfaces and grading and under adverse environmental conditions.
 11. Thewheeled suitcase according to claim 10, wherein said variety of surfacesand grading comprises at least one selected from the group: paved bricksurfaces, paved stone surfaces, gravelly surfaces, rocky surfaces,irregular surfaces, curved surfaces, inclined surfaces, curbing,stairways and any combination thereof.
 12. The wheeled suitcaseaccording to claim 8, wherein an anti slippage means is secured to thehandle.
 13. The wheeled suitcase according to claim 12, wherein theanti-slippage means is a protrusion disposed at the central portion ofthe handle.
 14. The wheeled suitcase according to claim 8, wherein saidretractable wheel has a diameter at least five inches.
 15. A wheeledsuitcase, comprising: a suitcase body having top and bottom surfaces,front and rear surfaces, and first and second side surfaces; a basehaving an interior volume defining an enclosure having a top, a bottomand four sides and being connected to said bottom surface of thesuitcase body; a support wheel, located on the bottom of the base, beingmoveable between an active position at which the support wheel extendsbelow the bottom of the base or an inactive position at which saidsupport wheel is substantially within the interior volume of the base;an elongated track having a first end and a second end, distanced fromthe support wheel, having a relatively rigid frame extending around thetrack, being coupled to the bottom of the base; a retractable wheel,mounted along the track, being moveable between an active position atwhich the retractable wheel extends below the track or an inactiveposition at which said retractable wheel is substantially within theinterior volume of the base, wherein the elongated track permits saidretractable wheel to move to a desired position between the first endand the second end of the track when the retractable wheel is in aninactive position; an elongated cover extending outwardly from the basewherein the elongated cover covers the retractable wheel when theretractable wheel is substantially within the interior volume of thebase; and a handle extending upwardly from the suitcase body forsteering, pushing, pulling and lifting purposes, such that when theretractable wheel is in the active position, in use, the retractablewheel is in contact with the ground and wherein when the suitcase bodyis being pushed along by the handle, the retractable wheel leads. 16.The wheeled suitcase according to claim 15, wherein said retractablewheel is made from material for facilitating optimal rolling contactwith a floor surface.
 17. The wheeled suitcase according to claim 16,wherein said material comprises rubber/silicone to enable rollingmovement over a variety of surfaces and grading and under adverseenvironmental conditions.
 18. The wheeled suitcase according to claim15, wherein an anti slippage means is secured to the handle.
 19. Thewheeled suitcase according to claim 18, wherein the anti-slippage meansis a protrusion disposed at the central portion of the handle.
 20. Thewheeled suitcase according to claim 15, wherein said retractable wheelhas a diameter at least five inches.